Dec Group Launches ABBPS – Automated, Fully Traceable Blood Bag Processing

Ecublens, Switzerland – Dec Group has introduced ABBPS (Automated Blood Bag Processing System), a robotic line that takes the manual, repetitive work out of blood bag processing. Tube stripping, sealing, bundling, labeling and sorting are all automated, with every bag identified at infeed and every label verified before release.

From Trolley to Release Bin

Operators simply load bags onto a mobile trolley. Robots take over from there: each bag is barcode-identified, its tube stripped, sealed in segments and bundled, and the bundle attached to the bag. The bag is checked against the customer lab database, relabelled, verified and sorted by blood type to a release bin.

Any bag that fails identification or verification goes to a separate bin for manual handling, never to release.

Key Features

• Up to 1150 bags per 8 hours, depending on bag type and lab database response time
• Seven-segment tube sealing, with the seventh segment separated to waste
• Configurable trolleys: 91 bags as standard, with size and number adjustable to cut processing time
• Print, apply and verify labeling by thermal transfer
• Validated for Terumo and Fresenius bag sets, with change parts per bag type

Traceability Built In

A Siemens or Allen-Bradley PLC with touch-panel HMI delivers real-time status, alarms and process data. The FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant control system provides user access levels, a full audit trail and electronic records, while a UPS protects batch data on power loss.

ABBPS is CE marked with cGMP construction to Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, and Dec Group supports US customers through the FDA 510(k) process.

Automate at Your Pace

Blood services can start with a segmenting-only line and add labeling and sorting later. Dec Group engineers handle lab-database integration, qualification documentation, FAT, installation, commissioning and SAT, backed by Service Level Agreements.

Originally developed for the Dutch blood bank, ABBPS pairs proven blood processing workflows with Dec’s pharmaceutical process integration expertise in a standardized, scalable platform.

About Dec Group

Founded in 1987, Dec Group is a Swiss based leading global provider of powder handling and process containment systems to the pharmaceutical, chemical, food and cosmetic industries.

Dec products offer a high level of safety for both operator and product. Their advanced system concepts, from the standard powder transfer system to highly complex integrated handling and processing equipment, allow clients to increase productivity while respecting stringent regulatory requirements.

Over the past years, Dec Group has carried out a significant expansion of its activities with the acquisition of specialized companies. The company today has divided its products into 5 distinct divisions: Powder Handling, Continuous Processing, Particle Size Reduction and Science, Containment Solutions, and Filling Solutions. Together, these offer true end-to-end solutions from the raw material input to the final dosage form.

To learn more, visit: https://www.dec-group.net/

Resources

Learn more about Dec’s Automated Blood Bag Processing System (ABBPS).